It’s time for another busy box idea, and I’m so excited about this one! It’s all about measuring, and it’s got the most adorable fall pictures for your kiddos to measure! This is a new addition to my busy box repertoire, and I can’t wait to hear what you think about it! (And, if right now you’re thinking OK Stephanie, This looks like fun and all, but what in the world is a busy box??? Then you definitely want to go take a look at my post about apple-themed busy boxes! I give quite a bit of explanation in that post!)
Before we get started, we need to make sure you’ve got everything you need! Here’s a short list of what you’ll need to prep this activity:
- [amazon_textlink asin=’B018REFQMC’ text=’white cardstock’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’mrsasroom-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’dd78ab6c-d45d-11e8-a68b-6b485a92e7a8′]
- [amazon_textlink asin=’B0010JEJPC’ text=’laminator’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’mrsasroom-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ead450e6-d45d-11e8-9596-d7ced09b666d’]
- [amazon_textlink asin=’B06XRLTJWM’ text=’laminating sleeves’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’mrsasroom-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’12429e09-d45e-11e8-a33a-35f0066bcf50′]
- [amazon_textlink asin=’B00453MS12′ text=’pencil box’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’mrsasroom-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’3eca0075-d45e-11e8-90a1-f31ab03caef2′]
Now that you’ve got all of your supplies, we’re ready to get started!
Measuring Height & Width
There are two sets of measuring cards in this set. One is for measuring height…
And one is for measuring width…
BUT… before you give either of these activities to your kiddos, here are a few helpful hints:
- Remember… busy box activities are supposed to be familiar tasks that your kiddos can do independently. They are practicing skills, not learning them. so, make sure your kiddos have had lots of experiences with measurement before you give them these activities.
- Start with measuring real objects before you ask them to measure images. Measure classroom objects, nature objects, even each other!
- Measure with lots of different materials. You can use cubes, beans, crayons, steps… The list can go on forever! Seeing that measuring with a different unit of measure gives you a different number as your result is a very important truth they will need as they get older!
- Teach them the basics. (You have to start at the bottom of the object and measure all the way to the top. If you are using something like cubes to measure with, you can’t leave any space between the cubes. The cubes have to be in a straight line.) They need to understand from the start that how you do math is more important than just getting an answer!
- Teach your kiddos the important vocabulary that goes along with measurement. Words like measure, width, height, length, longer, and shorter are all great words for little ones to be able to use!
- Once they are pretty proficient at measuring real objects, give them practice at measuring images on paper. But, make sure all those basics are still being used!
Measuring Options
Now that your ready to give your kiddos their Fall Measuring Busy Box, you’ll need to decide what you want them to measure with! Like I mentioned above, you’ve got many options! but, these are some of my favorites!
You can have them measure with [amazon_textlink asin=’B000PUTNU8′ text=’Unifix cubes’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’mrsasroom-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’53e172aa-d461-11e8-8433-7f38b4ef5c67′]…
You can have them measure with [amazon_textlink asin=’B007P23FOO’ text=’foam cubes’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’mrsasroom-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’82a6dd61-d461-11e8-9ef0-4982646ffdc2′]…
You can have them measure with [amazon_textlink asin=’B00FAYG14K’ text=’pumpkin mini-erasers’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’mrsasroom-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’a7029344-d461-11e8-8145-fb8c81ee6a77′]…
Or, once your kiddos are ready to move away from using objects as their measuring tool, you can teach them to use a ruler that has nonstandard units of measure on it. And, I’ve included some of those with the measuring cards! (If you teach older kiddos, you could also have them use a standard ruler to measure!)
Get This Busy Box
You made it this far with me, so now you get the best news in this post! This busy box is FREE in my TPT store! Both sets of measuring cards, two sets of nonstandard rulers, and a label for the box! And you don’t have to pay a dime for it! Just click on the product cover to go grab yours!
Complete Your Fall Busy Box Collection
If you love this activity, and you want more busy boxes to round out your fall theme, I’ve got you covered!! Just take a look at the different options I’ve got available:
- Fall Counting Puzzles Busy Box
- Fall Shapes Match & Clip Busy Box
- Fall Cutting Busy Box
- Fall Play Dough Leaves Counting Busy Box
- Fall Number Tracing Busy Box
- Fall Letter Sounds Matching Busy Box
- Fall Letter Tracing Busy Box
- Fall Leaves Letter Punch Busy Box
- Fall Letter Matching Busy Box
And, if you want to get the entire set, you can get all 10 of them in one GIANT bundle!
You might also want to check out my fun fall circle time games!
What other activities would you like see in a busy box resource? I’d love to hear your ideas!
Don’t forget to follow my Teachers Pay Teachers store so that you always get updates about what new products are available!!
Happy Teaching!
[amazon_link asins=’B00FAYG14K,B000PUTNU8,B000URL296,B007P23FOO,B00453MS12′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’mrsasroom-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’acbdfb39-d464-11e8-ad20-29a70dd65afb’]
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